The invention relates to a device for the pressure-less production of soft solder powder, in particular exactly spherical fine metal particles in a grain size range of 1 to 100 xcexcm and with a liquidus temperature  less than 250xc2x0 C. from a body of solder, with a heatable receiver for melting the solder in the oil stable at high temperatures.
It is known to produce soft solder powder by subjecting a solder melt to flow dispersion in liquids in rapidly rotating agitators. So for instance D 237 575 A3 describes a method for producing solder paste, whereby a solder carrier consisting of colophonium, and organic solvent, a compound with reducing action and triethanolamine is mixed with solder metal. In a receiver which can be selectively cooled or heated with an agitator the solder carrier is produced at 50xc2x0 C. by stirring. The solder metal is added in compact form to the receiver, while heating the latter to a temperature which exceeds the melting point of the solder metal by approximately 10xc2x0 C. and the melted mass is dispersed by being agitated at a high speed of approximately 10000 rpm. After that it is cooled down to approximately 20xc2x0 C. below the melting point of the solder metal and the agitator is operated at a lower speed until it is cooled to room temperature. This known process has the disadvantage that the obtained particle size of approximately 150 xcexcm is not a fine metal powder. The dispersed solder particles have also different diameters, i.e. they have by far a too broad grain distribution range. Therefore the known method has not proven itself on a large industrial scale, especially because it does not work continuously.
It is also known to use shearing devices working according to the rotor/stator principle for the production of emulsions (liquid/liquid) and suspensions (solid/liquid) (see IKA Maschinenbau-Prospekt xe2x80x9cDispergierenxe2x80x9d, pages 22-24, 1997). These devices are used for lacquers, dyes, pharmaceutical products, metal oxide suspensions and coatings. According to this known principle, as a rule, it has to be insured that in the case of highly viscous media the media flow has to be sustained by conveyor units.
Furthermore from DE 44 02 042 A1 a process is known for producing microparticulate reflow-solder agents, whose solder metal content is present in a small grain size range. The compact solder metal is melted into an organic liquid which can be heated to high temperature, such as castor oil, and by means of a flow dispersion process, brought to a spherical symmetrical grain size range of preferably 3 to 10 xcexcm in diameter. The organic liquid is then removed to the extent that the metal particulate remains covered, so that it can be introduced in an emulsion and the individual particles of the suspension and emulsion are covered according to the method of complex coacervation with a melamine polymerisate within the layer thickness range of 50 to 250 nm. The microparticulate organic phase is then quantitatively separated from the microparticulated metal phase. This microparticulate metal powders are protected by a duroplastic polymer system, however they can be released again only through the action of a highly activated fluxing agent. These fluxing agents lead to the destruction of the microelectronic switching circuits and are therefore unsuitable. Besides this method has been used only in laboratories and is not capable of insuring a uniform sphere diameter from charge to charge.
Another known solution (U.S. Pat. No. 4 648 820) melts metal such as aluminum in a crucible, feeds the molten metal to a cooling chamber filled with cooling fluid, and disperses the liquid metal by means of spinning disks in drops, which again are drawn together with the cooling fluid into a recirculation cycle and in a separator are separated from the cooling fluid, whereby the latter is returned to the cooling chamber.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5 411 602 the solder is melted and the molten solder is divided into drops by means of inert gas. This state of the art is also plagued by the drawback that the produced metal particles do not have uniform sphere diameters, so that in any case sorting processes are necessary in order to select metal particles of an approximately equal size having the same sphere diameter. That renders this known solution inefficient.
It is the object of the invention to improve a device of the kind mentioned at the outset, so that the metal powders produced according to the flow dispersion principle have a narrow grain size range clearly below 100 xcexcm, a precise spherical shape with an almost constant diameter, by avoiding any screening and at low cost in a quasi-continuous process.
This object is achieved with the following steps
a) gravity feeding the molten solder in a further oil receiver by setting a volume ratio of oil and solder melt of at least 10:1,
b) dispersion of the liquefied solder by agitating and subsequent shearing in successive shearing steps according to the rotor/stator principle at speeds of 1500 to 5000 rpm with the addition of oil from the receiver of step a),
c) circulating by at least 20 times of the solder/oil mixture of step b) in a counterflow over the oil receiver of step a) and the shearing steps, whereby through the control of the shearing speed the number of the steps and the geometry of the rotor, the particle size and particle distribution of the dispersed material in the dispersant are set,
d) discharging the solder/oil mixture from the circuit of step c) into a further oil receiver for the separation of the dispersed material through sedimentation and returning the oil to the receiver of step b) and/or a) and
e) extracting and feeding the dispersed material of step d) for subsequent cleaning.
According to a further preferred feature of the method of the invention, vegetable or animal oils, preferably castor oil, are used as oils.
It has surprisingly been found that solder melts with an extremely high viscosity at a density rate between the dispersed material and the dispersant of xe2x89xa72.5 can be separated with a shearing device without jamming the rotors in the stators and without requiring further conveying aggregates. Therefore in a further preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the solder/oil mixture flows through the consecutive shearing steps in the direction of gravity. The solder/oil mixture is pressed by gravity into the inlet of the first shearing step, where it enters the inner space of the first rotor and reaches the crenelated shearing openings of the first rotor, flows through the slots of the stators surrounding the first rotor and is thereby radially forced into the inlet space of the second shearing step. Through the slots of the second rotor and stator, the solder/oil mixture reaches the third shearing step. By moving the rotor slots past the stator slots, due to the high peripheral speeds very high shearing forces are created, which separate the solder enveloped by the oil. Depending on the number and breadth of the slot openings in the individual shearing steps, the speed and the geometry of the rotors, it is possible to control the size of the solder particles at selected temperatures. Due to the high shearing forces the special advantage persists that the solder/oil mixture is conveyed to the circuit of step c). After a circulation of at least 20 times, and consequently repeated shearing, particles of clearly less than 100 xcexcm are obtained.
In a further preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the process temperature in steps b) and c) is set at approximately a maximum of 30xc2x0 C. above the liquidus temperature of the solder and the oil temperature of step d) at approximately 90 to 130xc2x0 C. through the heat-carrying medium.
In case the density ratio of the dispersed material to the dispersant is higher than xe2x89xa72.5, the solder/oil mixture is additionally agitated.
A further preferred embodiment of the method of the invention provides that the individual steps be supplied by separate heating/cooling circuits. Of course when several steps are combined, it is part of the method of the invention to have one common heating/cooling circuit serving each. It is also conceivable to use only a single heating/cooling circuit.
In a further preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, for the extraction of the dispersed material of step e) a solvent is added, forming a suspension through agitation, which is pumped to a not represented cleaning installation for washing. As a solvent for step e), fat-dissolving solvents, preferably acetone, have proven to be particularly suitable. The extraction of the dispersed material according to step e) can also be accomplished through gravity collection.
Further more the object of the invention is attained with a device wherein in a compact module the melt container for the massive solder and a dispersion container for the dispersion of the solder melt in oil are arranged in cascade to each other and a sedimentation tank for the separation of the dispersed solder material from oil is arranged underneath the dispersion container, and that the containers are interconnected by pipe conduits, whereby within the compact module the melt container is located above the dispersion container and that to the dispersion container a multiple step shearing device is assigned for the separation of the solder melt into drops, whereby the feeding pipe from the melt container to the dispersion container is connected to the dispersion container by an inclined pipe segment in the manner of an injector leading to the container bottom area, at whose lowest point a connection piece with a flange is provided for connecting the shearing device, whose outlet is flanged to the recirculation conduit returning to the upper part of the dispersion container, which via a branched-off segment ends in the sedimentation container, which in turn is connected via an ascending pipe with the upper part of the dispersion container via a pump with drain-off pipes, and that all containers, pipe conduits, the shearing device and pump can be heated or cooled by at least one tempering device.
According to a further feature of the device of the invention, all containers and pipe conduits are built as double-walled bodies of stainless steel, preferably V2A, whose intermediate spaces formed by inner and outer walls are acted upon from the tempering device with a high-temperature heat carrier oil.
A further preferred embodiment of the device of the invention provides that the dispersion container is incorporated in a separate heating/cooling circuit, and the pump, the ascending pipe and drain-off pipe are incorporated in a further separate heating/cooling circuit, the shearing device and recirculation pipe conduit again in a separate heating/cooling circuit and additionally in a cooling circuit with a cooling container, the sedimentation container with the branched-off pipe in a separate heating/cooling circuit, whereby flexible, heat-stable metal hoses constitute the respective connecting pipe conduits and are respectively connected to a common distributor, which is connected with the tempering device through a flow line and a return line.
However it is also possible to incorporate all containers, pipe conduits, setting members, connection pieces, flanges and the shearing device in a common heating/cooling circuit, without leaving the framework of the invention. An electric heating device can be used instead of an oil heating device.
In a further suitable development of the device of the invention, the pipe conduits and the connection piece are provided with locking elements, preferably ball valves made of stainless steel.
In a particularly advantageous further development of the device of the invention, the shearing device consists of several, preferably three, rotors arranged corotationally on a drive shaft, which have teeth spaced apart by slots, whereby the rotors are inserted into a stator separating the shearing steps from each other and insured against rotation, which has teeth spaced apart by slots, whereby during the rotation of the rotor, the slots in the rotor and stator clear passage openings for the passage of the solder/oil mixture into the subsequent shearing step.
In a further preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the teeth of the rotor and stator form circles of teeth, which are arranged concentrically with respect to each other and fitted into each other.
According to a further preferred feature of the device of the invention, the shearing device is arranged in vertical position in alignment with the axis of the dispersion container, whereby the solder/oil mixture is independently sucked axially into the inlet of the shearing device and pressed radially through the slots of the rotor-stator arrangement.
At greater density differences between dispersed material and dispersant, particularly at a ratio xe2x89xa72.5, the dispersion container is suitably provided with an agitator.
In the sedimentation container there is an insert with a collection basket for the collection and separation of the solder particles from the process. The collection basket is located close to the bottom of the sedimentation container, so that by gravity the solder particles drop into the collection basket, which can then later be removed from the sedimentation container.
According to a further preferred feature, instead of the drain-off pipe and the collection basket an agitator leading through the container cover of the sedimentation container and a height-adjustable dip pipe which reaches down with one end close to the container bottom of the sedimentation container, and is connected at the other end to a pump with variable direction of rotation for aspiring the suspended dispersed material, respectively for feeding the solvent into the container, can be provided.
In order to maintain the process temperature by at least 30xc2x0 C. above the liquidus temperature, in all containers and pipe conduits temperature sensors are provided close to the solder. This insures that the viscosity of the solder melt will remain approximately the same in all stages.
In a further preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the compact module consists of a housing frame with a bottom plate, wherein table-like support stands for the preliminary assembly of the containers, pipe conduits, distributor and the pump are provided.
According to a further feature, the shearing device is received by an insert movable on the bottom plate and held tension-free on the flange of the ball valve and the flange of the recirculation conduit. This insures that the shearing device can be dismounted without difficulty, changed and mounted again.
All containers, pipe conduits, flow and return lines, locking members, distributor and pump are heat-insulated, in order to keep the heat losses through radiation at a minimum.
Furthermore according to a preferred feature of the device of the invention, the housing frame of the compact module is provided with wall plates whose inner sides have heat and sound insulating plates or mats coated with aluminum foil.
In a further preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the containers, pipe conduits, flow and return lines locking members, the pump, shearing device, the metal hoses and the distributor are heat-insulated.
In a further preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the tempering device is mobile and arranged outside the compact module. However the tempering device can be just as well arranged in the compact module.
The invention distinguishes itself over all heretofore-known flow dispersion processes in that the soft solder powder can be produced with exact spherical shape and within a narrow grain size range quasi-continuously on a large industrial scale. By simply exchanging the shearing device, by changing the slot dimensions, the variation of the number of shearing steps, the rotational speeds and the number of recirculations, the sphere diameters of the solder particles can be kept within a narrow grain size range, at low cost and with high precision. The device of the invention is of compact construction, user-friendly and requires little maintenance.